(Electronic Press Kit)
Quimbombó is a groove oriented band with a musical base in the Cuban són (the contagious dance music championed by Buena Vista Social Club that is the main ingredient in salsa); they always maintain strong elements of improvisation and spontaneity in their sound.
Quimbombó (pronounced keem-bohm-BO) is the title of a classic Cuban són popularized by Conjunto Chappotín in the 1950's; a word of Congolese origin, it means "okra" or "gumbo" in Spanish.
The group's lively
and unique sound has excited audiences at many venues including Lincoln
Center's Midsummer Night's Swing, The River to River Festival, SOB's, the Brooklyn Museum, La Belle
Époque, and Gonzalez y Gonzalez. They have recorded two CDs, Quimbombó,
released in 2004, and Conga Electrica, released in 2008.
Its members are:
The Band Members
Nick Herman
director, composer, arranger, percussion
has been involved with Cuban music for over 15 years. He began performing as a rock drummer in the 1980s at venues like CBGBs and Pyramid. In the 1990s he began to immerse himself in Cuban and Brazilian music, studying with masters such as Changuito, AfroCuba de Matanzas, Bobby Sanabria, Jorge Alabê, and Roberto Vizcaino. .
Nick has worked recently with artists such as Trey Anastasio, Jay Collins, Gary Morgan & Panamericana, Nanni Assis, Dendê, Pupi Insua's Grupo Oriki, Las Gardenias, Orquesta Tropicana, and Mecca Bodega. His articles on Cuban music have appeared in Aché and the All Music Guide. Nick paraded as a ritmista (drummer) in Rio de Janeiro's Carnaval in 2005 and 2008.
a native of Havana, is a highly accomplished and respected interpreter of many diverse styles of Cuban music. In Cuba, he rose to fame performing with the late Compay Segundo, one of the vocalists featured in Buena Vista Social Club. Since moving to the United States, he founded the Latin Grammy-nominated folkloric group Raices Habaneras and has worked with many top artists including Paquito D'Rivera, Cachao, Willie Chirino, Marc Anthony, and Johnny Pacheco.
a veteran of the New York Jazz and Latin scenes, has recorded and performed with artists such as Celia Cruz, The Talking Heads, Ray Barretto, Tito Puente, Machito, Marc Anthony, and The Chicago Symphony. Currently, Steve performs with a variety of New York artists including Johnny Pacheco and Jimmy Bosch.
is a performer, composer, and arranger and teaches at the New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music. He has shared the stage and recorded with many prominent jazz, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and pop artists including Bobby Sanabria, Bobby Porcelli, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Bobby Short, and Ray Vega.
was born in Havana. The son of musicians, he began performing at the age of eight. Known for his energetic style of improvising, he has worked with artists such as Juan Carlos Formell, Raices Habaneras, Paquito D'Rivera, Los Caribeños and Ibboru.
a native of Panama, has performed with many major figures in Salsa and Latin jazz, including Ruben Blades, Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, Gloria Estefan, Jimmy Bosch, Juan Carlos Formell, Albita, Danilo Perez, and Gilberto Santarosa.
was born in New York City to Cuban parents, and began his musical training at age four. He has directed the band Kfekonleche and performed and recorded with artists such as SonSublime, YeraSon, and Frank Bambara.
a native of Havana, began his professional career at the age of 16, playing with Buena Vista Social Club star Omara Portuondo. After relocating to Miami in 1997, he begun working with many of the top Latin artists in the U.S., including Albita, Celia Cruz, Manolin, and Juan Carlos Formell.